With the letter “T,” Vanna White made her debut on Wheel of Fortune on Dec. 13, 1982, and became a permanent fixture in pop culture. Millions tune in every night to see White’s show-stopping gowns, bright smile, and personable hostess skills and while throughout her 40-year reign on the game show, there’s been a lot of changes (Pat Sajak, for one, announced he is leaving the show, and White is reportedly renegotiating her contract), one thing that’s remained the same is her commitment to health and fitness.
The 66-year-old sticks to a strict regime to stay a “sample size.” “I’m still wearing these clothes that I’ve been wearing for the past 40 years,” she told Yahoo. “I have to do a fitting every couple of weeks, so I need to fit into these sample sizes. That keeps me encouraged.” Read on to learn five ways White stays slim and in great shape.
White uses her spin bike five times a week. According to Rachel MacPherson, CSCS, CPT, Garage Gym Reviews Consultant, “Using a spin bike 5 times a week can help keep you in shape because it’s a cardiovascular exercise that helps your body become more efficient at using oxygen, which has many incredible benefits such as improved heart and lung health, better blood sugar levels, healthier blood pressure, and lower chance of all-cause mortality.” She adds, “Spinning also helps you achieve and maintain a healthy weight balance since it burns calories and protects against metabolic syndrome, and increases your sleep quantity and quality, which is directly linked to weight balance as well as mood and overall well-being.”
Yahoo! also reports that White does push-ups on a regular basis, which is a great upper-body workout for your chest, core, and arms. MacPherson explains, “As you work to control your body against gravity, your muscles will have a demand placed on them that begins to break down the muscle fibers, stimulating them to grow in response. You can angle your arms in many ways to stimulate more of your chest or triceps and you can raise your feet for more challenge or raise your upper body for less challenge.” She continues, “You can perform push-ups slowly or use a plyometric push at the end to increase power. In this way, you can keep progressing with push-ups so you will get stronger and gain muscle.”
Another thing the TV personality does to stay fit is sit-ups, which is an effective core exercise when done properly. “Sit-ups are an abdominal exercise that primarily targets the rectus abdominis or six-pack muscles,” MacPherson says. “As you lower and rise up against gravity, you use your abdominals to control your body positioning, stimulating muscle breakdown and growth. Strengthening your abs can improve spinal stability and allows you to move better in daily life or sports. It’s crucial to balance ab work with more rounded core exercises including back and glute movements.” She warns, “Sit-ups are one abdominal exercise you can add to your core training but they shouldn’t be the only one and it’s wise to watch for any signs of back pain while performing sit-ups and avoid them if you feel uncomfortable.”
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When White isn’t filming the show, she enjoys hiking with her long-time partner John Donaldson, according to the outlet. “Hiking helps keep you in shape because it is a cardiovascular exercise with the same incredible benefits as spinning (or any other cardio) but hiking also provides a lot of muscle stimulation when you are climbing inclined pathways and stepping over rocks and other obstacles. What’s more, since hiking is performed outside, it provides many benefits for health and mental well-being such as lower stress, better moods, self-confidence, vitamin D from sun exposure, and more,” MacPherson tells us.
In addition to hiking, White loves taking walks with her partner, which is a great way to stay healthy and in shape at any age. “I’m not a young spring chicken anymore and, it is what it is,” White told Yahoo. “I do the best I can. I eat pretty good. I exercise. I just try to stay healthy, and be the best I can at my age. That’s all you can do.” “Walking is an accessible and low-strain form of exercise everyone should do daily,” MacPherson states. “Walking is the primary method of travel for humans and we’ve evolved to be very efficient at it. Walking helps lower blood sugar and blood pressure, improves mental health, helps with weight balance, facilitates digestion, and keeps your joints, bones, and muscles healthy and mobile.”
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Heather Newgen
Heather Newgen has two decades of experience reporting and writing about health, fitness, entertainment and travel. Heather currently freelances for several publications. Read more about Heather
